1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof cover and a waterproof structure for a device, such as a printer, having a recording portion for performing recording on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now, there have been a large number of stationary devices that are disposed and used in a room as devices such as a printer having a recording portion for performing recording on a recording medium. However, in recent years, there have been developed a device that is reduced in size and weight and a device that can be driven by a power supply such as a battery. Also, there has been manufactured a device that not only performs recording on the recording medium but also is integrated with a computer, a finder, or a display. Those devices may be desired to be carried and used at various locations and positions by a user. In this case, there arises such a problem that moisture may enter the device, resulting in failure of the device. In particular, in the case of a device that has to be used outdoors, it is essential to conduct rainproof measures. In the device having a recording portion for performing recording on a recording medium, because there always exists an outlet for discharging the recording medium, a casing itself of the device cannot be perfectly sealed, and there is a high possibility that moisture enters the device from the outlet.
Under the above circumstances, there has been proposed a structure having a waterproof cover that covers the vicinity of the outlet for the recording medium in the device having the recording portion as disclosed in JP 7-86426 B, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Hei 5-7466, and JP 6-47987 A. In all of the structures disclosed in those publications, only the vicinity of the outlet for the recording medium in the device is covered with the waterproof cover, and there is disposed no waterproof cover that covers portions other than the vicinity of the outlet. Although those structures provide the effect of covering the outlet for the recording medium with the waterproof cover, it is necessary to form the casing itself of the device into a waterproof structure in order to effect the waterproofing of the portions other than the outlet. In other words, in the above publications, a sufficient waterproof effect cannot be obtained unless the device itself is formed into a waterproof structure different from the stationary type, and the waterproof cover is used together. That is, the device to be used is limited to a device having the waterproof structure, and not applicable to every device. Forming the device itself into a waterproof structure leads to a complicated structure, high costs, and increased complexity of the manufacturing process of the device itself.
In order to obtain the sufficient waterproof effect with respect to all of the devices, the device may be put in a rigid waterproof case that is made of synthetic resin. However, in this case, for example, when maintenance such as the replenishment and exchange of the recording medium, or the exchange of a battery is required, work cannot be executed unless the device is removed from the waterproof case. In addition, when the user uses the device while carrying the device, there may be no location where the waterproof case from which the device has been removed is to be temporarily held during the work such as maintenance, and the waterproof case may be impeditive. Also, since the rigid waterproof case that is made of synthetic resin is normally manufactured by means of a mold, the mold must be redesigned and reproduced when the device to be accommodated in the waterproof cover is changed. As a result, the waterproof case is not suited for a multi and small-lot production from the viewpoints of the production costs and the production efficiency.